New gates have been put up to stop people dumping more boats down there
Gates have been put up to stop people dumping boats(Image: Andrew Teebay/Liverpool Echo)
Wrecked boats that have been dumped on a Merseyside beach could be gone by the end of the year as gates have been put up to stop cars coming down.
This action is the latest update of a years-long campaign by a councillor and local people over fears wrecked and rotting boats could harm an internationally protected area on Heswall beach on the Wirral. Last year, the ECHO reported how Wirral Council was moving forward with these plans and gates are understood to have now been installed restricting access onto the beach.
The boats are being taken away to avoid pollution to the surrounding area and protect bird and animal life. The Dee Estuary is an internationally important site for wildlife and is the second most important location in the UK for birds such as oystercatchers and shelducks.
In order to do this, the boats will be wrapped to minimise the risk of pollution from oil and anything harmful before being taken away to be dismantled.
Heswall councillor Andrew Hodson, who has been campaigning to get the boats removed for years, said an application to get permission to remove the boats had been submitted to government body Natural England and they were just waiting on feedback.
It’s hoped the boats could be cleared this year but that depends on when Wirral Council gets the necessary permission to do the works. Cllr Hodson said gates have now been installed at the entrance to the beach which will stop any vehicles accessing the beach except for emergency services and people accessing properties.
Heswall councillor Andrew Hodson said gates had now been installed on Heswall beach.(Image: Copyright Unknown)
People will still be able to access the beach by foot but the gates have had to be installed after Cllr Hodson said people were coming down to dump their boats.
He said: “Everyone who wants to take a boat down will have to go through the boat yard like they used to.
“It means we can maintain what is going on and off the foreshore successfully. We have got the gates up as we speak. Over the last two years people have been asking me when are the boats getting removed.
“Hopefully if we can get through the red tape, hopefully they will be. We have budgeted for £200,000. People might say we thought the council is having problems but if we do not do it, we will end up with a fine. It’s better to bite the bullet and do it.”
As the Dee Estuary is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) and straddles the border between Wales and England, a number of other organisations have been involved in the process including Natural Resources Wales and the Cheshire Wildlife Trust. Cllr Hodson said: “We had to bring all those together to do what we are doing.
“I have been looking at it for years. People have said to me why can’t you set fire to the boats but you can imagine the mess that would leave and the damage to the wildlife.
“Kids are playing on the boats. It’s just a health hazard. The beach is an SSSI and it should be put back to what it is naturally.”